Which is the lesser of two evils?

[Monkey962]

Since summer is upon us, and I still remain active in the heat I often find myself deciding between enduring a sweaty head, or washing very frequently. I personally can't stand the feeling of scalp that needs a wash, but if I've just shampooed one or two days prior, I don't feel as motivated to go through the whole ordeal again. But which is worse to do? I've read that a sweaty scalp isn't a great environment for hair to grow in, and can possibly cause thinning. But wouldn't washing frequently also be rough on the scalp?

[holomi]

I always go with a sweaty head until it dries. Then I wash when I need a wash. I haven't noticed any problems. I get very sweaty too, my workouts can be quite intense. :)

[MinderMutsig]

You could just rinse it, that's what I do when my head gets particularly sweaty. Jump in the shower, rinse hair, put leave-in conditioner and/or nice smelling oil on hair and air-dry.

[DinaAG]

if u dont want 2 use shampoo everyday try just washing it with water and may be once a week use z shampoo

[spidermom]

I rinse between shampoo-washings.

[Kaelee]

I wash my hair daily all the time with no problems.

[Amber_Maiden]

I workout everyday, and only wash my hair once a week- my sweat dries in my hair and doesn't smell.

[palaeoqueen]

I used to wash my hair every time I worked out, this would sometimes lead to two washes in a single day! I didn't believe that just letting the sweat dry would be ok but more often than not it really is fine. You could always just rinse with water if you prefer or do a CO wash.

[ddiana1979]

I exercise a lot and wash nearly daily in the summer. I don't wash twice a day though. . . usually I run or bike in the mornings and do yoga in the evenings. I wash after running, but not after yoga (though I sweat heavily for both). I just use a mild shampoo and only wash the scalp. Then I use lots of conditioner. I oil heavily when still damp. I got into this routine when training for a triathlon, and even though I wore a swim cap, chlorine still got in my hair. There was no way I was going to leave chlorine water sitting in my hair, so I had to wash every day. My hair grows faster when I exercise, incidentally. I don't know if it's the extra blood flow to the scalp, or perhaps even the nearly daily washing, but at any rate, I haven't noticed any damage.

[Arashi]

I try to compromise: if it's summer and I'm keeping an exercise routine, I'll do washes every other day instead of every 2 or 3 days.

[Quixii]

I think it's fine to just not wash, but when I was in a similar position I would usually CO wash one some of those days and shampoo-wash the other days, just so it wasn't as harsh.

[Monkey962]

Unfortunately, rinsing isn't really a choice for me since It makes my scalp ridiculously greasy. If I do a rinse, I have to shampoo the next day anyway because of it.

[Kyla]

Maybe you could try CO washing on days you don't shampoo, if rinsing makes it greasy?

[piffyanne]

Am I the only one who thought of a clip from Master and Commander when they're discussing which weevil is better? (SPOILER Protip: Always choose the lesser of two weevils.:D)

I agree with palaeoqueen et al: I'd go with a CO wash if you feel you MUST wash your hair.

[owlathena]

Just rinsing with water or CO works fine to get sweat out of my hair. I work out about every other day, always shower after, but only shampoo once every few weeks.

[Deborah]

I exercise hard six mornings a week, but only wash my hair once a week. The sweat simply dries, and causes no problem whatsoever. It is not bad for your hair or scalp at all.

[Natalia]

you coul do wo washes between shampoos if you want to stay with stretching your regular washes

[OhioLisa]

You could always just do a scalp wash. I am on the side of "if it's dirty, wash it". And yes, every day, if need be. I can't stand the idea of walking around with a dirty scalp. :shudder:

[AutumnLocks]

I don't remember who said it but it was a quote from a famous person:

Always remember, the lesser of two evils, is still an evil.

[hinatako]

It depends on you. For me i wash my hair everyday, but sometimes i dont use shampoo, i just rinse it with no problem. ;)

[jojo]

I just water rinse between Washington, not that we are getting any scalp sweating days here in the uk!

[Tristania]

I work out every single day, and I find that wearing my hair up a lot really helps; I assume it's because the hair isn't weighing itself down and thus sticking to my scalp. I do rinse it every other day, and wash it about twice a week.

[Monkey962]

I exercise hard six mornings a week, but only wash my hair once a week. The sweat simply dries, and causes no problem whatsoever. It is not bad for your hair or scalp at all.
Is that so? I could swear I read that sweat is bad for your scalp on this very site.

I work out every single day, and I find that wearing my hair up a lot really helps; I assume it's because the hair isn't weighing itself down and thus sticking to my scalp. I do rinse it every other day, and wash it about twice a week.

Heh, for me it's the other way around I think. I feel like the weight of wearing my hair up sticks it to my scalp more. Ew.

[MrsGuther]

Since summer is upon us, and I still remain active in the heat I often find myself deciding between enduring a sweaty head, or washing very frequently. I personally can't stand the feeling of scalp that needs a wash, but if I've just shampooed one or two days prior, I don't feel as motivated to go through the whole ordeal again. But which is worse to do? I've read that a sweaty scalp isn't a great environment for hair to grow in, and can possibly cause thinning. But wouldn't washing frequently also be rough on the scalp?

I wash my hair frequently because I can't stand it when my hair gets all sweaty from working out. I don't think that washing hair gently is that damaging to it.

[jojo89]

I just rock the sweaty head! Lol It doesn't gross me out after it dries. When my hair looks greasy, I always rub baby powder into my roots; works like a charm. Probably not a good look on people with dark hair though lol

[Carolyn]

I don't think frequent washing is harmful. This summer I've gone back to washing almost daily again with no damage whatsoever to my hair. I do a lot of CO washes. I'm careful how I manipulate my hair when it's wet and I air dry most of the time and I condition roots to tips each wash. If you want to wash after each exercise session, do it and don't worry about it.

[Deborah]

"Is that so? I could swear I read that sweat is bad for your scalp on this very site." Monkey


You may well have read it, but that does not make it true. Sweat does not make your hair or scalp get dirty any faster. It's almost all water plus a tiny bit of salt, neither of which causes oiliness or dirtiness. I barely need to wash my hair when my week is up, but I do because a week seems long enough to me.

[earthnut]

Sweat is MUCH better than shampooing frequently. Sweat doesn't slow hair growth. Exercise and sweat actually stimulate the scalp, clear out the pores, and help hair growth. It's like cleaning from the inside out. :D

Shampoo, on the other hand, strips oils off your hair, making it more likely to break off sooner.

Even too much water makes hair lose elasticity and become weaker. However, quick rinses shouldn't be a problem.

I'd let the sweat dry and leave it alone, or do quick rinses. Or if you really need to wash, wash with a light conditioner, like VO5 kiwi lime, instead of shampoo.